False Idols
Schedule
Sat, 20 Jun, 2026 at 12:30 pm to Sun, 28 Jun, 2026 at 02:50 pm
UTC+01:00Location
Jelly Broad St Mall | Reading, EN
About this Event
Join artist Lara Beasley in an intimate session in their residency 'pod' making small plastic creatures and discussing how to create when it feels like the world is ending. It is recommended to bring some clean plastic waste with you, however materials will be provided.
An open and conversational session with a focus on the process of making rather than the outcome. The artist will be present to assist with any ideas, however the idea of the session is to be playful and not work to any particular goal.
The artist would also like you to bring a short piece of familiar text that has been stuck in your head recently. This can be anything from a song, to a slogan, to a poem, to a cliched adage. We will use detournement processes to edit the texts into spells that ‘breathe life’ into your creature.
All the events at the Open for Art Festival are free to attend, there is an option to add a donation to help support the festival if you would like to and feel able to.
If you can no longer attend please let us know as places are limted and we can offer your space to someone else.
About the artist
Lara Beasley is a multidisciplinary performance artist from Birmingham and working in Reading. Viewing plastic waste as humanity’s queer bastard child, they attempt to embody waste surviving against the will of its’ creator, in turn revealing ironies in fear and grief over the Earth’s slowly violent death. Their use of scrap material intentionally undermines systems of capital and productivity, and attempts to unfurl something intriguing about the stuff that our species leaves behind to never decay.
OPEN FOR ART
19 JUNE - 28 JUNE 2026
REFLECT This year marks 10 years of Open for Art — a decade of artists, makers, communities, ideas and shared experiences in Reading’s largest town centre creative festival. As we celebrate this milestone, our theme invites everyone to pause and consider how creativity emerges from people coming together — experimenting, making, and reflecting. Our theme for 2026 is REFLECT.
For 10 days, we’re inviting Reading to slow down and seek out pop-up art in shops and businesses, encounter artists as they work, take part in creative sessions, and join conversations about how reflection shapes artistic practice.
Come and REFLECT with us this summer.
Where is it happening?
Jelly Broad St Mall, Level 1, Reading, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00
